The very next morning, Stef got up early in order to be able to sort out this whole Ivy ordeal. She didn't tell the kids about Ivy, hopefully Lauren won't press any charges and she may not even be able to given when both sides of the story is heard, and if she is released. Stef won't tell them at all. Lena was asleep when she got home so she didn't even get the chance to tell her. Last night, Stef knew she was harsh. She knew she should've stuck around and heard her out, but it was such an angsty time and everyones head was all over the place. Stef's included. She wasn't thinking straight.

When she got to the station in fact. Ivy was already out. Stood with Caleb. Stef tilted her head and walked over to them both "What's going on?"

"Lauren isn't pressing charges. She actually admitted to provoking Ivy" Caleb said as Ivy just stood there with her arms crossed.

"Why would she admit to that-"

"Lottie and her friends didn't back her up, she didn't have a leg to stand on" Ivy stated as she lightly shook her head. Stef rubbed her lips together and looked back to Ivy. Great. Now she felt extremely guilty for not listening to her. Ivy could tell how upset Stef felt by all of this, Stef ran her fingers through her hair "I'm sorry for..."

Ivy waved her hand to wave away the situation and shook her head as she looked back to Stef "Mom, let's just forget it. I understand why you felt the way you did"

Stef let out a small smile and nodded "Alright, well you want to go?"

"Yes please" Stef nodded and motioned her hand for Ivy to follow her out. Ivy took a step forward and then turned back around to Caleb "Listen I err...thanks for having my back last night. You were one of the only ones who actually heard me out"

Caleb smirked "Are you actually saying something...nice to me?"

Ivy rolled her eyes "Yes okay, it's known to happen"

Caleb took a step closer to her, their faces closer together and then whispered "Careful Ivy, people might actually start to know you've got a heart"

Stef turned around and saw the way Ivy and Caleb were...and a light bulb went off in her head. Ivy lightly pushed Caleb back "We wouldn't want that would be?"

"No" Caleb whispered with his smile still lingering on his face "Hey you wanna meet me at the burger shack? I'm going for a run and you like to eat there so"

"Oh god-"

"I'm not asking you out" he laughed "Believe me I'm not asking you out. But believe it or not you're good company"

Ivy debated it. She wasn't in work today, she was a full time teacher now on a part time job since she had a trainee teacher working with her since Monday like she was for Timothy. To be honest she was beginning to realize that this teaching job was not what she signed up for. She stopped her writing and she never understood why she did stop. Staying in that cell over night was a wake up call like Stef said. Ivy looked back at him and gave him a nod "Sure"

"One o'clock"

"Yep" Ivy nodded as she then walked away and caught up with Stef.

The car ride was filled with conversation when it used to be filled with nothing but silence.
"Alright so tell me whats she said to you"

Ivy sighed and looked up to the ceiling as she thought hard about it "She was ranting on about Nate, saying that I jumped into bed with him as soon as I came home and that I got him killed-"

"She said that! No wonder you hit her now that we know the full story"

"Actually it wasn't exactly that-that made me go for her. She brought the baby into it"

Stef took her eyes off of the road for moment and looked at Ivy with a shocked expression "Are you kidding me?"

Ivy shook her head and looked at Stef. Stef took her eyes back on the road but still kept a shocked look on her face "Wow, oh honey I'm sorry. Any woman would react the way you'd react I think"

"So you don't think I'm going down some sort of downward spiral?"

Stef smiled and took hold of Ivy's hand in the car "No, no I don't"

Ivy let out a small smile, one that Stef didn't think she'd be able to see again. She could tell that a million things were running through Ivy's head. And it made Stef curious "What is it?"

Ivy looked back to Stef and ran her fingers through her hair as she thought even more, she leaned forward in her seat "Could you drop me off at the school please" Stef raised an eyebrow to her, already beginning to make the turn towards the school she still questioned "Why? Exactly?"

"I just need to do something, I'll explain when I get home, promise"

Stef wholeheartedly believed her. It didn't seem like Ivy was thinking of something bad, she seemed very relaxed about it, which made Stef feel more relaxed. She nodded and pulled the car over outside of the school. Stef watched Ivy as Ivy stared at the school. Stef rubbed Ivy's back "You okay?"
Ivy came back down to earth and looked to Stef "Yeah. I'm fine. I won't be long"

"Okay, I'll wait out here"

Ivy nodded, got out the car and began to walk up to inside the school. She walked down the halls, looking into her classroom where the trainee teacher was teaching her glass, through the small window she saw Jesus at the back with Emma, a secret smile formed on her lips. The trainee seemed to be doing well. He was able to make them smile and laugh. Something she wasn't able to do in so long now. Ivy slid her hand down the frame of the door and carried on walking down the hall. Past Lena's office who didn't even notice Ivy walking past. Ivy went straight to Monte's office.

She softly knocked on the door as she slowly opened it "Monte?"

Monte looked up and smiled gently "Ivy, hi...what are you doing here, we gave you the day off for the trainee"

Ivy shut the door behind her and leaned her back against it for a brief moment before pushing herself off of it and walking over to her desk, she laid her hands on the desk and bowed her head to look down at the desk for a moment "Ivy? You okay?"

"You know what?" Ivy muttered, she then stood back up straight and looked at Monte "I am. I really am which is why...I'm resigning"

Monte's face dropped, she didn't understand at all. If Ivy was feeling better in herself like she appeared and said to be then why would she leave this job? Monte slowly stood up and tilted her head slightly "Ivy, I'm afraid I don't understand. I thought you liked it here"

"Oh I did. I liked it here. I loved it here. When Nate was here...it took me a while to figure it out, don't get me wrong I enjoyed teaching and helping kids it felt fulfilling, however I enjoyed being here so much because I was working with someone I love, it made it fun and it made me happy to see him everyday. You noticed how miserable I went correct?"

Monte nodded and shrugged "We thought it was just because of your grief"

"It was, to a degree. Before I lost my baby, I was healing, I wasn't as cold with the kids. But I still wasn't the same with them on how I used to be, and then when I lost the baby well I just...I just totally lost it"

"I understand this Ivy, but why quit, why now if you're-"

"Because I realized that the only reason I stayed here deep down was because this was a part of me and him. We went to school together here, we dated here. As both students and teachers...this is a cord that I need to cut, in order to be able to move on. I mean-what do I do when I sit alone at my desk? I hear his voice, I hear the conversations we've had my room and in the halls and it's haunting me to be blunt. Monte I never planned on being a teacher here, I fell into it. It made me stop what I always lived my life doing...writing. I want to get back to my roots and I want to free myself from this"

Ivy's little speech had stopped. She just shut up now and looked at Monte. Waiting for her to respond. Monte's face had no longer had a confused expression, her expression softened. She now understood, she respected Ivy and her decision. Monte knew that if she was in Ivy's position then she'd decide this was the right choice too. Monte softly nodded "Okay, Ivy, I understand why you've decided this, a weeks notice shall we say?"

"Yeah that suits me" Ivy nodded as she ran her fingers through her hair. Monte nodded and gave a soft smile "Okay then"

Ivy gave another nod and turned around, putting her handle on the door. Only opening it slightly, she heard Monte call her "Ivy"

Ivy turned her head and raised her eyebrows "Mm-hm?"

Monte smiled at her "I'm sorry to see you go...but I'm happy for you"

"Thanks, Monte...oh and don't tell my mom, I'll explain when she gets home"

"Sure, okay"

Ivy gave her a smile and then left the office.

Ivy sat herself back into the car. Stef looked at her with her eyebrows risen "What happened then?"

Ivy let out a small sigh and nodded to down the road "Like I said, I'll explain when we get home"

Stef turned the engine back on and muttered "Oh a cliff hanger" she began to drive down the road.

They reached the house not long afterwards. Stef had to be back in work in just over an hour. So she had time to sit down with Ivy and listen to what she had to say. Ivy grabbed herself a bottle of coke from out of the fridge and sat down facing Stef, opening the bottle top she took a swig of her drink, she rubbed her lips together and then looked at Stef, clearing her throat she then said "I resigned from the school"

"You what!? Ivy-"

"Mom. It was the right thing to do. The only reason I stayed there is because I didn't want to take myself away from Nate but it was making me miserable and I felt like the only reason I was there is because I felt like I was betraying him in some way if I left...you remembered what I was always about. Writing. Scripts, Short Stories, novels...all of those made me happy and I want-I need to get back to that. He'd want that"

Stef smiled and took hold of her hand "Now there's the Ivy I know"

"So you're not mad?"

"No I'm not mad, you're sure about this and it'll hopefully make you happy so no I'm not mad"

Ivy gave a tight smile. She was still working on letting out her emotions fully, walls were coming down extremely slowly. But they were coming down non the less.

"So, what's this about you and Caleb?"

"Me and Caleb?" Ivy raised an eyebrow and then shrugged "We box together, we argue we-"

"Go to lunch together?" Stef said with a small smirk "Like today when he asked you to go to the burger shack with him"

Ivy rolled her eyes "Completely platonic. Apparently he thinks I'm good company which is very hard to believe. Think he just likes to annoy me"

"And you like being annoyed"

Ivy sighed and shrugged "He's annoying but he gives good speeches, whilst we're being honest he's the main reason we had that talk the other night"

"He was?" Stef said with her eyebrows raised. Ivy nodded "During the boxing we did"

Stef found herself smiling. Caleb clearly does care about her. Despite all the teasing and bickering the two of them have. They have something. It's a kind of relationship that Ivy has never had before. She's never usually gotten along with someone she disliked. Which is why Stef thinks there is more to these two than meets the eye. If Ivy wouldn't admit it, she can't fool her mother.

1:05pm

Ivy walked to the burger shack and saw Caleb walk over and sit down to a table that looked put right to the beach. A table Ivy always likes to eat at. He sat down with a bottle of water and a club sandwich. She walked over, Caleb looked up and smiled "Nice of you to show up five minutes late"

"I like to keep you on your toes" Ivy muttered as she sat down and faced him.

"Hungry?"

"Not really, could do with a drink though" Ivy looked to the side "Marty!" she called the young boy behind the bar. He looked up "Ivy! Where've you been! It's been a week!"

"You know me always busy, can I have my usual drink please?"

"Of course!"

Ivy looked back to Caleb who had an eyebrow raised at her, Ivy shrugged and leaned on the table "Old friend from school, kinda had a crush on me since the eighth grade"

"Ah, so you use your good looks for evil" Caleb stated as he stood hold of his sandwich.

"You think I have good looks?" Ivy teased. Caleb laughed but didn't answer. He just took a bite. Ivy laid her head into her hands. Caleb looked up as he chomped on his beefy sandwich. He gave her a light punch on her arm "Penny for your thoughts"

"I quit my job today"

"And you did that because?"

Ivy rolled her eyes, not really having the energy to go through it again. She let out a shrug "I wasn't happy there, it's a long story but it was the right choice"

Caleb sat back in his chair and crossed his arms, he then shrugged and said with a light laugh "Fair enough, so what next for you? Police?" he joked. Ivy let out a puff of air through her nose as she looked but at him "Mom would love that" Ivy sat back as Marty brought over her drink "On the house for your birthday I missed"

"Marty you don't have to-"

"I know I know, you don't like your birthday anymore. Shame. Was a hell of a party last year, just take it on me, okay?" Marty smiled as he placed his hand on the back of her head for a brief moment before walking away. Ivy gave him a grateful nod.

"So would I, quite fancy your mom in that uniform so I can only imagine what you'd be like" he joked and then laughed at himself soon afterwards. Ivy raised her eyebrow at him and shook her head "You're encourage-able"

"I'd like to think so...so any plans for this weekend?"

Ivy's eyebrows pinched together "I don't know, I was thinking about it when I was walking up here and I'm thinking about getting away for the weekend but...but with my family"

Caleb raised an eyebrow "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. There's this place we always used to go as like a tradition. I might pass it by my moms and see what they think"

"It'll be good to get away. I'm getting away for the weekend too. Every other weekend I go to the same place as like a get away. Does me the world of good so it'll probably do you the world of good too"

"You go alone?"

"Sometimes. The last time I took a friend-"

"And of course by friend you mean the girl your sleeping with"

Caleb stopped his words and looked at her, he rolled his eyes and held up his hands "I'm a single man"

"Never said you weren't. Milo was just like you" Ivy muttered as she took a sip of her ice latte "Sleeping with many women to try and fill the void of being alone"

"What makes you think I feel alone?"

"Well for one you want to spend time with me and you can't sink much lower now can you"

Caleb let out a laugh and nodded "Well you got me there...but it's not like that, alright?"

Ivy placed her straw in her mouth and drank her drink with her eyebrows raised, as a way to show that she both doesn't really believe him but also that it's not her responsibility to judge him. And she doesn't. It doesn't even surprise her to be quite honest, nor does it bother her. Caleb got back onto the original subject, running his fingers through his hair he nodded to her "But anyway, I think a weekend get away with your family is a good idea"

Ivy nodded and shrugged "I know that's why I came up with it"

Caleb sighed lightly "Ah, I need to teach you how to take compliments"

Ivy took her latte out of her mouth and ignored him as she then began to feel hungry and ordered her usual food.

By the time Ivy got home, everyone else was home. Mariana and Callie were with Stef and Lena in the kitchen.

"Hey buba" Lena smiled as she saw Ivy walk into the kitchen. Ivy looked to Stef and asked her with just the look of an expression if Lena knew. Stef simply nodded. Lena seemed to be okay with it then, Stef clearly must have explained well enough to Lena. She's sure that she'd talk it through properly later on. Ivy ran her fingers through hair and then placed her hands behind her back and walked forward at the kitchen table. She then laid her hands on the table and looked at them.

"So guys, I was thinking"

"Uh-oh" Stef mumbled with a small smirk on her face. Ivy rolled her eyes and mocked a laugh.

Lena giggled and waved her hand "Ignore her, sweetie, what were you thinking about?"

"Well. We haven't gone camping in a while, so this weekend I was hoping that we could? I just need to get away but I want my family with me, you know...building bridges and all" Ivy said as she looked to Mariana and Callie who gave her sweet smiles. They loved the idea already. Mariana looked to Stef and Lena "Oh please moms can we! It's been a while and I've actually grown to like camping"

Stef and Lena looked at Mariana, then looked at each other. Both already agreeing with each other. They smiled and looked back to Ivy. Stef rubbed her lips and nodded "Yeah, of course"

"Great" Ivy said with a small smile. Still working on a grin.

Lena walked over to the sink with Stef and whispered "So, we're renting out our usual place?"

"Is that site twelve?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Change it to site five"

Lena's eyebrows pinched together and looked at Stef's smug grin "Why?"

"I'll explain later, just call them and ask for site five"

Lena gave in and nodded as she dialed the number.

The less angsty chapters start here! Do you think Ivy was right by quitting her job and why do you think changed the site number?

Please leave reviews below!